Chanting, "Japan, apologize," and "Japan, tell the truth," more than 200 Asian American protesters Tuesday demanded that the Japanese government pull back new history textbooks that they say whitewash Japan's crimes against its neighbors before and during World War II.

The taupe car rounded the corner of Maclay Avenue in San Fernando on Thursday morning and First Lady Laura Bush got an eyeful of the admirers who lined the sidewalks, their signs of support bobbing aloft. But not for her. The adoring crowd had turned out for Vicente Fox, whose first official trip to the United States as Mexico's president seemed to be briefly overshadowing Bush's first official trip outside of Washington as first lady.

Pete Torres, house manager of Royce Hall, could hardly believe the final act of 300 boisterous protesters who forced the cancellation of a mayoral debate. After breaking into UCLA's performance hall and noisily occupying the building for four hours Wednesday evening, then spilling out to declare victory in their fight to restore affirmative action, many politely returned to tidy the room.

Five protesters were arrested on charges of trespassing Thursday afternoon as community activists stepped up their protests against the developers of a luxury apartment complex by disrupting work at the downtown construction site. More than 100 protesters and supporters of the Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now gathered in front of the Medici apartments at Bixel and 7th streets at noon. Association members insist that the developers, G.H.

Pete Torres, house manager of Royce Hall, could hardly believe the final act of 300 boisterous protesters who forced the cancellation of a mayoral debate. After breaking into UCLA's performance hall and noisily occupying the building for four hours Wednesday evening, then spilling out into the night declaring victory in their fight to restore affirmative action, many politely returned to tidy the room.

About 30 people, including two boaters, demonstrated Wednesday against bulldozing on wetlands on the site of the proposed massive Playa Vista development. The protesters are upset that the work began before they could appeal a federal court decision that allows the filling of 16 acres of wetlands at various spots in the more than 1,000-acre Westside project and the creation of what developers say will be a freshwater marsh.

About 200 students from University of California campuses across the state occupied Royce Hall on the UCLA campus for four hours Wednesday evening, forcing the cancellation of a debate by candidates running for Los Angeles mayor. The impromptu sit-in took place at the end up a long day of marches and rallies to demand that the UC Board of Regents repeal its six-year ban on affirmative action.

About 100 people rallied Thursday in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate International Women's Day and to support a global women's strike. Organizers in several major U.S. cities and more than 60 countries were encouraging women workers to take the whole day or a few hours off from work to draw attention to women's labor issues.

A crowd of about 1,000 filled the streets near the governor's downtown Los Angeles office Friday to demand better wages for caregivers of people with developmental disabilities. People arrived as early as 9 a.m., many in wheelchairs or using crutches and walkers. They hoped the rally, in front of Gov. Gray Davis' Spring Street office, would help persuade him and members of the Legislature to reevaluate funding for the Department of Disability Services in the May budget revisions.

Hundreds of Crenshaw High School students walked out of class Wednesday morning to protest a proposed name change that they say would rob the school of its history and deal a blow to its pride. It took two hours, several police units and an appearance by Rep. Maxine Waters to corral students in nearby Leimert Park and urge them to go back to school. Students were incensed when they found out last week that administrators had proposed changing the name of Crenshaw to Julian C.